She's Brilliant
by undesirablenumber1
Summary: Ron and Hermione play tic-tac-toe, water fight with the Giant Squid and each other, and Ron tries to fight his urges. Set in fifth year by the Hogwarts Lake. I don't own anything!


"No point trying for this one." Ron moodily slammed shut his copy of _Magical Draughts and Potions_, the aged yellow pages spitting out a cloud of dust. As he anticipated before he even said it, Hermione shot him a disgusted look.

"Ron, there's always a point _trying_." she snapped, her nose buried in _New Theory of Numerology_ in preparation for her upcoming O.W.L.

"Not for Potions there isn't. Can you please, _please _stop studying? I don't think I've seen your face for two straight weeks, and I don't feel like having a conversation with your Arithmancy textbook." Ron threw aside his own textbook and shook Hermione's leg in a whiny manner.

"This is my hardest subject; I have to study for it…and is there something so wrong with not seeing my face?" She peered her eyes over the top of her book, her eyebrows knitted into a confused but sly frown.

"Well of course there is! Y-you're…I mean…you know! It's…" Ron gave up trying to form words and groaned, collapsing backwards and landing in the lush grass that grew near the Black Lake.

Ron felt exceptionally irritated with Hermione at the moment. He had Hermione alone (he had no idea where Harry was, but he, although ashamed to admit it, didn't really care), in what he felt to be quite a romantic place, and this could perhaps be his moment if he would ever pluck up the courage, but all she wanted to do was study. And all he wanted to do was kiss her.

"All right, all right. Let me finish this chapter, it'll be about ten minutes." Ron's head shot up at the sound of her voice.

"You serious?" Ron was dubious, but didn't dare disagree with her.

"Yes, if you would just wait for me, I'll be right with you." Hermione said, her eyes feverishly scanning the frayed pages of her textbook.

So Ron was supposed to wait for ten minutes. Quietly, free of disruptions, until he could have her full attention. Needless to say, it would be a long ten minutes. Ron flipped over onto his stomach. He buried his face in the grass, then seized a fistful of it and ripped it from the ground. Lifting his face up, he examined the handful of grass he had extracted. He peeled a blade in half, then peeled that blade in half, until he was left with nothing. He tied blades of grass into knots, tied blades of grass together, did whatever he could to pass the time with blades of grass.

_It's surely been at least twenty… thirty minutes by now. _

Ron rolled onto his back and stared at the sky, twiddling his thumbs and tapping his feet. He was getting impatient and fidgety. But then he saw her face, Hermione's face hovering over his, smiling and playful.

"I'm done!"

"Excellent, excellent. Sit!" he exclaimed, patting the patch of grass beside him. She sat cross-legged, looking down at a reclining Ron. For a while, she didn't say anything, just looked at the lake, looked at the trees…looked at Ron.

"Not studying is nice, right?" he said with a grin.

"I'm not _not-studying_! I'm simply taking a _break_ from studying to enjoy some time with my friend! Don't make me feel like I haven't done anything, I haven't slept for about two weeks!" Hermione retorted, quite defensively. She put her head down and buried it in her palms.

"No, I didn't mean it like-I…Hermione, come on! You know that's not what I meant." He put his hand on her shoulder and she shot up.

"I know, I'm sorry…I'm just so tired! It seems like you and Harry haven't done near anything at all for your O.W.L.s."

"Now don't go insulting Harry and me either! We've been doing a fine amount of studying, we're just not as batty as you!"Ron exclaimed. Hermione frowned, but didn't care to comment. Instead, she collapsed backwards onto the grass just as Ron had done, so she was lying next to him. _Right _next to him. _So_ next to him, her body heat was radiating off of her and hitting some part of Ron's skin.

"I just want to sleep." Hermione murmured, her eyes fluttering closed.

"No, don't sleep! I didn't wait all this time so you could sleep! Look, I have a game Dean taught me. You have a bit of parchment?" Ron shook her, feeling as if he was surely irritating her, but it didn't matter at this point.

"Yes, yes, it's in my bag." Hermione gestured towards her school bag, her eyes still closed. Ron grabbed the bag and rummaged through it, finding her vine wood wand and a Gryffindor scarf before unearthing a bit of parchment and two quills. The bag smelled of the perfume Ron had given her for Christmas that year. Interesting.

Ron placed a piece of parchment in front of Hermione and took one for himself. "It's called something like Ticky-Tacky-Toe…I can't remember." Ron muttered, taking a quill and giving one to Hermione.

"You had never heard of Tic-Tac-Toe?" Hermione said incredulously, breaking into a laugh.

"No I had not!" Ron remarked, slightly insulted. "Anyways, let's just play."

"Fine. You first." Hermione said with a devious smile. They both lay on their stomachs across from each other, chins propped up by their fists.

And Ron played O's and Hermione played X's, and Hermione won seven games in a row until Ron became positively beside himself.

"This is going to be the game I'll win. I know it." Ron said determinedly.

"That's what you said the last six times."

"In my defense, I've had _significantly _less experience than you at this game. It's not my fault I'm rubbish at it." Ron scowled and dipped his quill in the inkwell in preparation for another lost game.

"You're not rubbish, it's a game of strategy. And I happen to be very strategic." Hermione grinned and placed her first X. Ron reluctantly placed an O.

X, O, X, O, X. Hermione won again. As she laughed in celebration, Ron was only 25% bitter about his eighth loss. The other 75% loved hearing her laugh, and he was happy to listen to it all day long. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Hermione was pelted with a splash of water. The laughing immediately ceased. Both Hermione and Ron shot their heads around trying to find the source, then saw a tentacle of the Giant Squid guiltily sink back into the lake water.

Hermione hopped up from her spot on the grass, ran towards the lake, cupped a bit of lake water in her hand, and forcefully threw it at the place where the squid had disappeared.

"Water on water? I don't think that will do much good." Ron said, stepping up behind her.

"Oh, shut up." Hermione rolled her eyes, then scooped a bit of water up and threw it at Ron. He certainly didn't see that coming, but he also didn't even think of resisting. He tossed another handful of water at her in a "take-that" kind of manner. Shocked, Hermione retaliated with another splash at Ron, until they were entangled in a full-fledged water fight. Fifteen minutes they went on, until they both smelled like the Black Lake and were laughing so hard they were gasping, wheezing for breath.

Ron watched a closed-eyed Hermione lying down on the grass next to him, her stomach shaking from silent laughter, droplets of water glistening on her bottom lip. She was so pretty, so perfect, so fantastically flawless. This could be the moment. He could make it the moment. Ron inched his face centimeters closer to hers. What would she do if he kissed her? Would she reject him, which would surely leave him in a state of horrible, embarrassed humiliation? He would ruin not only their friendship, but the friendship of Harry, Hermione, and himself as well. But if she didn't reject him…if she kissed him back…he edged closer to her. He felt sick with anxiety. She would reject him. Ron rushed back to his original spot, rubbing his temples and regulating his breathing. And he let out a murmur.

"Hermione…you're brilliant."


End file.
